Mawae: Meeting with owners went ‘well’
Published: February 6th, 2010 | Tags: CBA, DeMaurice Smith, Kevin Mawae, NFLPA, Roger Goodell
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Top executives from the NFL and NFLPA, including a handful of former and current players, met Saturday morning for two hours to address ongoing labor issues.
The meeting came after NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly spoke this week about labor negotiations that could threaten a work stoppage in 2011.
NFLPA president and Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae said the meeting went “well” in a text message. He declined further comment.
Afterward, Goodell and members of his bargaining committee assembled with owners and other team representatives at a general session to discuss, among other things, the state of labor talks. That session lasted roughly three hours.
Goodell and the assemblage of owners declined comment. Goodell said he had nothing new to add to remarks he made at his Sunday news conference.
An NFL spokesman said there are no negotiations scheduled with the NFLPA but that a new round of meetings likely are forthcoming in the next few weeks.
The collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to expire before the 2011 season, and if no new agreement is reached there could be a work stoppage. Smith said at a news conference on Thursday he believes the owners have set the stage to lock out players in 2011.
Goodell denied that was the case on Friday, saying the goal is to work to reach an accord as soon as possible. If no deal is reached by early March, there will be no salary cap for the 2010 season. Teams can spend as much or as little as they want on player salaries. If there is no cap, there also will be major restrictions on players who change teams via free agency.